Adjusting To A New Family
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Marnie is slowly adjusting to life after her mother marries police chief Charlie Burns. Will she be able to adjust alright? Done as a request for MiraculousBumblebee98. :)


**MiraculousBumblebee98, who owns Marnie and Small-Foot, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :) **

**Transformers Rescue Bots belongs to Hasbro. I own nothing.**

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**Adjusting To A New Family**

Marnie adjusted the saddle on her horse as she thought about what had happened that past year.

After the death of her father, her mother, a nurse, had moved them both to Griffin Rock and she had accepted a job there in the hospital. While Marnie was happy for her mother, it was hard to get used to something new.

Especially now that a few months ago, her mother had married the police chief, Chief Burns. Moving into the firehouse had been another experience that Marnie really wasn't sure of, but she kept her uncertainty to herself for the most part.

And then when she and her mother had learned the secret of the Rescue Bots, that had been another experience that she wasn't used to, though she did like the bots and they had instantly accepted her as one of the team, like Cody and the rest of the family.

Getting used to having three older siblings was a bit tough. Kade was cocky and treated her like a little kid sometimes, Dani tried her best to relate with Marnie but sometimes tried a bit too hard, while Graham was unsure how to relate to the trick-riding girl, though he was nice to her.

Cody didn't mind having a new older sister and he liked her mom right away too. In fact, the whole family did, which was good.

But it was so much change and it seemed to be happening really fast. Sighing, the teenager pulled back her hair, which was dirty blonde in color, into a ponytail, making her greenish-blue eyes more visible while her glasses made her eyes stand out more.

Checking the saddle one more time and pulling out a strong strap, she finished setting up the saddle for her tricks. She glanced down at her outfit, which was a blue shirt, pink short overalls, and brown boots. She looked at the horse and petted its mane. "Ready to go?" She asked the horse softly.

Down in the base, Heatwave and the others were training with Small-Foot, the newest recruit who transformed into a storm chaser. While she learned fast, she was still a young rookie, but that didn't stop her from wanting to learn.

"Why do you put up with such a cocky human, Heatwave, sir?" Small-Foot asked now.

Heatwave chuckled. "Kade is cocky for sure, but he's a good firefighter," he said. "We've learned to...tolerate each other."

The new recruit giggled slightly. "No offense, sir, but it seems he likes to butt heads with you a lot," she said.

"Yeah, he does," Heatwave responded.

Blades happened to look at the monitors and saw Marnie outside. He watched curiously as she got up on her horse and the horse began moving before she slid to the side, seeming to hang on as the horse continued its pace. He looked a bit worried. "I hope she doesn't fall," he said softly.

Boulder heard him and came over to see what had worried his friend. "Don't worry, Blades," he said reassuringly. "From what Chief said, Marnie's been doing trick riding for a long time. I'm sure she has all the safety precautions in place."

"She does seem to be in her element when she does those tricks," Chase said. "Still, she seems...unsure."

Cody smiled lightly. "I think she's still getting used to the family, guys," he said. "Remember, her dad died and not long after, she and her mom moved here to Griffin Rock."

"Then her mom and Chief got married," Blurr pointed out, smiling.

"Maybe it's been too much change all of a sudden for her," Salvage said gently.

"Yeah, I feel for her," Heatwave said with a nod as they watched Marnie continue with her trick riding. "She's pretty good at that trick riding."

Marnie was hanging off the side of the horse before she pulled herself up into the saddle, gripping the saddle horn before bringing her feet up on the saddle and standing up, holding the reigns loosely in one hand while holding her arms out to keep her balance. Small-Foot watched in awe. "She's really good," she said.

Chief came down into the base, watching as Marnie jumped off of her galloping horse and running beside it before jumping back on gracefully and then hanging upside-down off the side of the horse, holding on so that she didn't get kicked accidentally by her horse's fast-moving legs. He smiled before clearing his throat, making the Rescue Bots turn to look at him. "Okay, team, it's been pretty quiet around here lately, so I think you guys deserve a day off," he said.

The bots smiled. It was rare to get a relaxing day. "Thanks, Chief," Heatwave said. "What will you guys do?"

"Well, it's been a while since we went riding in the mountains, so I thought we'd do that," the police chief said with a smile. "We'll be back later."

Kade, Graham, Dani, and Cody were excited about going and Marnie had agreed to come along too. "Where will be riding, Chief?" She asked.

"Along Griffin Mountain," he said. "Make sure you all have the necessary supplies."

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Half an hour later, they were ready to go and it was a beautiful day for a ride. While Marnie was happiest doing her trick riding, even she had to agree that this was a nice change of pace. The riding and gentle gait of the horses helped her to think about all that had happened over the past few months. She also liked how Griffin Rock was quiet and peaceful, though it did get a little hectic if an emergency came in and the Rescue Bots rolled out, but the bots and their human partners usually got any situation back under control quickly.

She then noticed the trail was getting a bit steep and slowed her horse down. "Easy," she whispered softly, keeping calm herself. "Go slow."

The horse obeyed and they were soon safely on another part of the trail that wasn't steep when all of a sudden, a howl rang out, startling the horses. Marnie's head snapped up and she glanced around as the horses grew afraid. She patted her horse gently to try and keep him calm. "What was that?" Kade asked.

"Sounded like a coyote," Cody said.

Another howl sounded out. "Coyotes wouldn't come this close to us," Marnie said in worry. "We better move. It could be wolves."

"She's right," Chief said. "Let's go. The trail is wide enough from here to the end of the trail for the horses to run."

No one dared to argue and Kade rode in front with Dani behind him. Cody and Marnie followed while Graham moved in behind them and Chief brought up the rear. As they started galloping the horses as fast as they dared, another howl sounded out very close. "Hurry!" Marnie said in worry as they urged the horses faster.

They made it to the end of the trail, but it seemed one wolf had been tailing them and was after Chief, whose horse responded to the danger by facing the wolf and rearing up to defend itself. Chief held on as the horse came down with a thud that threw dirt in the wolf's face and made the wolf jump back, but then jump in to try again.

Marnie saw a stick nearby and grabbed it, urging her horse to run towards the wolf. Surprisingly, the horse obeyed and just as Chief was thrown from his horse, Marnie rode in and brought the stick down sharply on the wolf's muzzle. "Get back!" She cried out, smacking him in the side this time.

Not liking that, the wolf took off down the trail and they breathed a sigh of relief before Chief grunted in pain and they saw he had landed on the trail and his shoulder had crashed into a large rock and his leg was at an odd angle. "Dad!" Graham exclaimed in worry.

"I'll call the gang," Dani said, activating the comm on her shirt. "Guys, it's Dani. Dad's hurt."

Hearing that, the Rescue Bots jumped into action and raced towards the mountain, helping to get Chief off the trail and heading to a hospital. The bots activated their holoforms too and drove to the hospital. Marnie was riding in Small-Foot and she looked worried. "Marnie, you okay?" Small-Foot asked.

The teenager bit her lip. "Kind of," she said. "I hope Chief will be okay."

"He's tough," the newest Rescue Bot said reassuringly. "He'll be fine."

It was a long wait at the hospital as Chief was admitted and immediately given medical attention. The others waited but engaged in conversation to make the wait not seem as unbearable. Marnie and Small-Foot, who was in her holoform, began talking about trick riding and Marnie was telling her about the different tricks she had been working on.

Two hours seemed to fly by and soon, a doctor came out with a smile as he approached the family. "Chief is alright," he said to ease their minds. "Just a broken leg and some bruised muscles on his shoulder, so he's going to need rest for a few months."

Dani, who had a little medical training, looked worried. "Are there any complications that he has or could develop?" She asked.

"Thankfully, no," the doctor said, smiling again. "He's a tough one, for sure."

"Can we see him?" Cody asked.

At the doctor's nod, they headed to the room where Chief smiled at them all, looking a bit tired, but alright. "Well, looks like Chase and I are going to take it easy for a while," he said.

Marnie moved closer to him and gave him a hug, being mindful of his shoulder as a few tears gathered in her eyes. Using his good arm, he hugged her back. "Hey, what's wrong, Marnie?" He asked softly.

"I...I just don't want to lose you...Dad," she said.

Hearing that and smiling that she had accepted him as her dad, he gently squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry, kiddo. This dog's still got his bark and bite," he said.

The whole family chuckled at that, smiling. When Chief said that, it was not only to reassure his family, but to break up the somber mood.

When the bots heard that Chief was going to be okay, they were relieved and promised to take care of any emergencies that came up while he rested.

Marnie looked at Small-Foot. "Maybe I can show you more of my trick riding," she said, seeing the bot as a close friend now, almost like a sister.

"I'd love to see that," Small-Foot responded, giving the girl a gentle hug.

Marnie smiled, feeling at peace now, and though she was still adjusting to her new family, it was becoming a bit easier for her now.

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**Please leave a review, but no flames! :)**

**GoldGuardian2418 **


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